The Truth About Charlie (2002)

Directed by Jonathan Demme. Starring Thandie Newton, Mark Wahlberg, Tim Robbins, Christine Boisson, Park Joong-hoon, Ted Levine, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Simon Abkarian, Stephen Dillane. [PG-13]

Disagreeable misfire from a customarily good director, with Newton as a woman whose husband was murdered, now harassed by assorted menacing types believing she has a fortune that belongs to them; stranger Wahlberg is her inscrutable protector who (of course) has a secret or two of his own. Wholly unnecessary remake of Charade is in no way better than the original, and in many ways far worse; Newton is an adequate substitute for Audrey Hepburn, but Wahlberg doesn’t even have a comparable skill set to Cary Grant, and feels gravely miscast. Beyond the poor comparison, the filmmaking technique simply doesn’t work—the restless camera and turbulent editing seem to be trying for energy and style, land on discomposure and vertigo. A handful of French actors/directors make brief appearances, including Charles Aznavour and Anna Karina.

38/100